Jen and Drew Wedding Day

This past weekend, we celebrated the wedding of our niece, Jennifer Miller, and her fiance, Drew Gobrecht. This was a party six years in the making.  We couldn't have asked for better weather. Our drive down from Toronto, Ontario to Malvern, Pennsylvania was uneventful. We arrived Friday night in plenty of time to meet our daughter, Katie, and visit one of our old haunts - The Flying Pig - a notorious beer bar on King Street in Malvern.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear.  We went for a four mile run on the Chester County Trail next to the Vanguard Corporate Center. This was especially meaningful for Kathy, since she spent years doing the real estate paralegal work for Vanguard, including the relocation of the rail trail through the corporate campus. This was our first time on the trail, because the county hadn't finished construction by the time we retired.

After our run, we made a quick stop at Wawa for breakfast.  Before long, we were singing "Get Me to the Church On Time." Holy Cross Church in Clifton Heights was the same church that my sister, Eileen, and her husband, Tom, were married in. It certainly brought back a lot of old memories, as well as making new ones.  Here we are taking a selfie before the ceremony.

We were having a little family reunion in the back of the church with sisters, Barb and Sue and her family when the ushers finally ushered us in.  Here is Tom walking his daughter down the aisle. He said he wasn't going to cry and that he was just trying to take this moment seriously and walk nice and slow.

Here is the big moment - she said YES!

Now, let's get that party started. We had about an hour between the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the reception, so the extended family (Dave, Kathy, Katie, Aunt Jane, Barb, Sue, Dave L., Mike and Nick) went to the Desmond Hotel to have a little happy hour before cocktail hour. A shuttle bus came and picked us up and it was off to the reception venue at The High Point.

The weather was so nice, that most folks hung outside for the cocktail hour. Here is Kathy with her brother, Steve, and his son, Ryan.

It didn't take Ryan long to discover the property contained a Labyrinth (not to be confused with a maze). Apparently, there are no tricks or dead ends in the labyrinth. It is designed to have only one route that winds toward a center point, makes a decisive turn and wanders back out again. Here Katie and Ryan make it to the center of the labyrinth.

When we retired, we knew we wouldn't have the space to take our homebrewing equipment with us.  Jen and Drew offered to take good care of it for us. Two years ago, they began homebrewing and haven't stopped.  They got the brilliant idea to brew their own beer for their wedding reception. Upon entering the reception hall, each person received their own bottle of "Dunkel Stormborn" with their name and table number. The label was designed by a friend of theirs, complete with the Jen and Drew coat of arms.

After sips and nibbles, it was time to find our seats so we could get the official reception under way.  Here are Jen and Drew sharing their first dance.

Next came the Dad Daughter dance.

Jen's brother, Tom, got into the act, by singing a song with the band.

There was also a photo booth set up next to the bar, so you could have your photo taken while waiting for a drink.  Here Tom, Eileen and Ryan were waiting their turn in the booth.

 Of course, everyone got into the act.  It was so fun, we did it twice - once with Katie and once with Vicki and Ryan.

The band kept the crowd moving the whole night.  I know "what happens on the dance floor, stays on the dance floor."  But for those of you who knew what happened when Nephew Ryan challenged Uncle Dave to a dance-off, you will be happy to know that the dry cleaners will be able to sew the seat of Dave's pants back together.  The seam just popped, no damage was done to the fabric.  Since Ryan was the first to leave the dance floor exhausted, Dave is claiming victory. Dave said, "The pants were just a small price to pay for the opportunity to beat your nephew in a dance-off!" Here are some very happy campers heading back to the hotel.

Needless to say, the party continued in the hotel bar long after we went to bed.  We asked for details, but you know, "what happens in the hotel bar, stays in the hotel bar."  That is, until you check out of the hotel and find out that you bought a couple rounds of drinks for the bridal party. We'll, at least we were there "in spirits".